Playing with War of the Mecha

Got in a game of War of the Mecha this weekend.  Two players, one lance each.  I was hoping to try the Clan Invasion expansion but that more sort of just didn't quite happen.

 

The size of the clickymechs (and the Blockhead gashapon) was dealt with by doubling the distances/speeds given in WotM.  Also, I said that a 45° turn costs 1" movement.  Dead simple rule adjustments.

I still find remarkable how a one-page game catches so much of the essential feel of the full Battletech rules.

The only quibble I have with WotM is the critical hit table.  There's a one-in-six chance of the critical hit not being a critical hit.  It's the "no soup" principle explained by another game-blogger I can't recall or track down at the moment.  There's no mechanism in WotM for losing heat sinks, so I may house rule the chart to say lose 1d4 heat sinks instead.

I lost this battle, but what of it?  I'm more worried about how easily those trees were knocked over which now that I think of it makes sense what with those giant robots rampaging about.

In future games I want to add brief and simple rules for all those clicky armoured vehicles.  Strange and startling it may sound, but first edition Critter-Tek has just what the doctor ordered.

Integrating microMechwarrior looks to be easy, too.  Instead of the Battletech conversion given in mMW, just use the usual Target Numbers from the stats.  Normally this would make hitting the target with ranged weapons way too difficult and slow the game down.  However the Target Number will be not for short range, but medium instead.  Short range gives a 2 point bonus to-hit, long range a 2 point penalty.

And from there I just have to figure what sort of campaign might go over best.  Straight up bring-n-battle slugging matches, or some light roleplaying leading into the fights.  I don't know.  Depends what I can coax the local players into doing.

Oh, and I need to make up some cardstock buildings too.  I keep forgetting those.